Wirebound container lid



Feb. 24, 1970 J. mfusRraA 3,497,099

WIREBOUND CONTAINERLID Filed Sept. 5. 1968 I4 ,ZL- 216 /Q \y zz x INVENTOR bx Q Joseph Jl/[cllrea B '6 '8 cada hfrv United States Patent 3,497,099 WIREBOUND CONTAINER LID Joseph McCrea, Rockaway, NJ., assignor to Stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, NJ., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 757,554 Int. Cl. B65d 43/00 U.S. Cl. 217-56 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lwirebound container lid formed of a sheet of foldable material with locking flaps at each end which are scored to wrap around the outer and lower faces of the top cleats at each end of the container and into the space between the inner faces of the cleats and the lining material which closes the container ends. Tabs may be provided at the ends of these flaps to extend through slots in the lining material and in the lid. Additional flaps may be provided at the front and rear sides of the lid for folding downwardly inside the face material at the front and rear sides of the container to stiffen the lid and to close the upper front and rear corners of the container.

This invention relates to a lid for a wirebound container of the type having at each end a rectangular framework of cleats with lining material stapled to the upper faces of the top cleats and folded downwardly to line the ends of the container, leaving slight spaces between said lining material and the inner faces of said top cleats.

Such a container may -be assembled, for example, from a blank of the type disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 762,261 filed Sept. 16, 1968, in which the top section includes a cleat at each end with a sheet of lining material extending therebetween and stapled to the upper faces thereof, said sheet being folded into the form of a collapsed Z, and being of such length that, when the container is assembled, it may be pressed downwardly to line the two ends and the bottom of the container.

The lid is formed from a single sheet of foldable material of such size and shape as to cover the top of the container with flaps at each end of such length as to be wrapped around the outer and lower faces of the top cleats and extend into the aforementioned spaces between the lining material and the inner faces of the top cleats. The locking of the lid on the container may be further enhanced by tabs at the outer ends of these flaps extending into slots cut in the lining material and, if desired, into overlying slots `cut in the sheet from which the lid is formed. The lid may be stiir'ened by additional flaps at each side folded downwardly opposite the inner faces of the face material at the front and back sides of the container, these latter flaps also serving to close the upper front and rear corners of the container.

This provides a very simple and inexpensive lid which can be easily and quickly applied by hand, but which is attractive, practical and durable.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of an illustrative lid embodying certain features of the invention, as applied on a container of the type described above.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the sheet from which the lid of FIGURE 1 is formed.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, showing the position of one of the locking aps on the lid.

As may be seen in FIGURE 2, the lid is formed from a single sheet 10 of foldable material, such as corrugated fiber-board, provided at each end with locking aps 12 separated from the main body of the sheet by parallel,

3,497,099 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 ICC transverse score lines 14 which are spaced apart a distance equal to the outside length of the container so that when the lid is placed on the container, as shown in FIGURE l, these score lines 14 coincide with the upper outside corners of the container ends. The aps 12 are also provided with two additional parallel transverse score lines 16 and 18 (for example, lines of spaced perforations, as shown) which coincide with the locations of the two lower corners of the upper cleats 20 to facilitate wrapping the flaps 12 around the outer and lower faces of the cleats, as best shown in FIGURE 3, and into the spaces between the inner faces of the cleats 16 and the outer face of the lining material 22 which is stapled to the upper faces of the cleats 16 and bent downwardly to line the ends of the container.

The illustrative lid shown also has, at the outer ends of the flaps 12, optional, short outwardly projecting tabs 24 which extend upwardly through slots which are provided at the upper ends of the aforementioned spaces by central notches 22a in the ends of the lining material 22, and into overlying slots 26 cut in the sheet 10, thus further enhancing the locking of the lid on the container.

The illustrative lid also has, at its front and rear sides, optional additional flaps 28 divided from the main body of the sheet 10 by parallel longitudinal score lines 30 spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the inside width of the container. Thus, when the flaps 28 are folded downwardly along these score lines 30, and the lid is in place on the container, the aps 28 lie against the inner faces of the slats 32 or other face material at the upper edges of the front and back sides of the container. These flaps 28 thus serve not only to close the upper front and rear corners of the container, but to stiffen the lid against outward bulging when the container is overfilled, or against inward bowing under overhead stacking loads.

The locking flaps 12, being wrapped around the top cleats at each end of the container, serve to provide cushioned hand grips for lifting the container by grasping the cleats in the usual fashion, and obviate the possibility that a person thus handling the container will get splinters in his fingers from these cleats.

I claim:

1. On an opentopped, five-sided wirebound container of the type having at each end an external rectangular framework of cleats with lining material secured to the upper faces of the top cleats thereof and folded downwardly to line the ends of said container with slight spaces between said lining material and the inner faces of said top cleats, with slots in said lining material at the upper ends of said spaces, a lid comprising a sheet of `foldable material of such size and shape as substantially to cover the top of said container, with flaps at each end of such length as to wrap around the outer and lower faces of said top cleats and into the spaces between the inner faces of said top cleats and the outer face of said lining material, with score lines coinciding with the corners of said top cleats around which said flaps are wrapped, and with tabs at the ends of said flaps extending upwardly into said slots.

2. On an open-topped, ve-sided wirebound container of the type having at each end an external rectangular framework of cleats with lining material secured to the upper -faces of the top cleats thereof and folded downwardly to line the ends of said container with slight spaces between said lining material and the inner faces of said top cleats, with slots in said lining material at the upper ends of said spaces, a lid comprising a sheet of foldable material of such size and shape as substantially to cover the top of said container, with flaps at each end of such length as to wrap around the outer, lower and inner faces of said top cleats, with score lines coinciding with the corners of said top cleats around which said flaps are Wrapped, with slots in said sheet overlying the slots in said lining material, and with tabs at the ends of said aps extending upwardly through the slots in said lining material and into the slots in said sheet.

3. On an open-topped, five-sided wirebound container of the type having at each end an external rectangular framework of cleats with lining material secured to the upper faces of the top cleats thereof and folded downwardly to line the ends of said container with slight spaces between said lining material and the inner faces of said top cleats, with slots in said lining material at the upper ends of said spaces, and with face material extending between said cleat frameworks across the upper edges of the front and back sides of the container, a lid comprising a sheet of foldable material of such size and shape as sub- 5 close the upper front and rear corners of said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 2,538,204 1/1951 Lemon.

2,597,848 5/1952 Reeser 229-14 X 2,707,587 5/1955 Wittstein 229-33 X 2,912,152 11/1959 White 229--14 stantially to cover the top of said container, with aps at 15 RAPHAEL H SCHWARTZ Primary Examiner 

